US swimmer Katie Ledecky competes in the preliminary heats of the women's 800m freestyle at the world championships in Kazan on August 7. PHOTO: AFP
KAZAN: Katie Ledecky of the US remains on course to win a fifth gold in Kazan, while a 10-year-old from Bahrain made history on Friday at the world swimming championships.
The 18-year-old Ledecky has been the outstanding performer in the Kazan pool, winning golds in the 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle, plus anchoring the US women’s 4x200m freestyle relay win.
The teenager has twice lowered her own 1,500m world record in Kazan and clocked the fastest time of 8min 19.42sec in the morning’s 800m heats to qualify for Saturday’s final.
“I always like to finish on a good night and leave a meet with a nice feeling, so we’ll see what happens,” said Ledecky, the 800m world record holder and defending champion.
Bahrain schoolgirl Alzain Tareq, believed to be the youngest swimmer to ever compete at a world championships, caused a splash when the 10-year-old swam in the 50m butterfly heats.
She finished last from the 64 competitors who raced the event after swimming 41.13sec and was 15sec off the fastest time of 25.43 by Sweden’s world record-holder Sarah Sjostorm, who swam in a later heat.
The pint-sized Tareq spent an hour answering a flood of questions in crystal-clear English from the scrum of media, and several of the swimming world’s elite commented that they were surprised to see her competing.
US star Missy Franklin, who won six world golds two years ago in Barcelona, is charmed. “She is so cute and tiny,” said the 20-year-old Franklin. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to her so far, but every time I see her she gives me the biggest smile.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2015.
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